Today is my stop on the Forever and One Week blog tour and I have a guest post by author Caroline Cairn about becoming a writer and following your dreams and an exclusive excerpt to share with you! A big thank you to Lola's Blog Tours for letting me be a part of this.

Becoming a Writer - Caroline Cairn

Like
most, if not all authors, I thrived in writing my own stories as a teen. I
remember using one of those spiral bound notebooks and let my imagination flow.
I also loved the prompts they gave us at school to write our own essay.

But
at the time, I never dreamt of becoming an author. The field was riddled with
obstacles, low pay and no guarantees. So as I grew up, I followed a
well-ordained path of a safe career, and forgot all about my writings.

Then
2014 came along, and threw a spanner in my life. A big one. And it made me
reassess my priorities.

From
then on, I had one mantra: life is too
short.

So
I thought that not only I would re-discover my long lost passion, but I would
also have a serious go at it. I didn’t expect success and talent overnight. I
know I’m a better writer than I was last year, but I’ll also be a better writer
next year. And the year after. I’m learning every day, improving every day. As
long as I enjoy writing, I will continue to do so.

Okay,
I might also pray to the Almighty God of Authors for a small nudge towards decent
success.

I
have no aspirations of full on glory, but having a small, loyal following would
thrill me. Other than my mother and my husband, that is. J

So
what can I tell you if you’re dreaming of becoming a writer?

Inform yourself. I
thought writing simply meant putting your ideas to paper without grammar or
spellings mistakes. Wrong. Writing is so much more than this. Go visit blogs,
buy self-help books. There are lots of tips, dos and don’ts out there. Read
them, and learn.

Read. You’ll
notice something straight away: your reading will be different. You’ll
appreciate the author’s prose more, you will remark on vocabulary and remember
some key sentences that sound perfect. You won’t only react to a book by gut
instinct anymore. And you’ll learn from it.

Find yourself a mentor. I was lucky to find a seasoned indie author, who was
friendly, patient and lovely. She showed me the ropes, and answered all the
questions I had. And I had a lot, particularly about what happened after
writing “the end”. Someone’s real experience and guidance is worth all of the
internet, magazines and books articles.

Decide early on if you want to try to be traditionally
published or not. It’s not as easy a
decision as you may think. Again, inform yourself, then pick what feels right
for you.

Be patient. Your
first story won’t be as good as you think. Many authors return to their early
work and cringe, despite their high pride at the time. And unless you are J K
Rowling and Stephen King’s secret baby, you’ll have to brace yourself for
criticism. Don’t ask your best friend, or Auntie Margaret. Ask perfect
strangers, on beta readers forum. They will tell you like it is. Some will be
tactful, others will throw your work at your face then slap you with it. Same
thing with readers and reviewers. I still have to develop the thick skin
needed, but I guess that one depends on your personality.

Focus on the good.
You can only get better.

Excerpt

“What the hell do you want?”

The sharpness of his voice didn’t shock her as much as
him turning up in her dining room. She presented the coffee tin to the Spirit
lurking in the shadowed corner. She didn’t notice herself pressing on the metal
until it created a dent.

“I would like a full one, please.”

If he could fill the can with the same beans he had
used the last time he had granted her wish, she would cry in happiness. His
coffee had tasted like smooth chocolate with a hint of bitter nuttiness. The fruity
flavour of her usual brand had suddenly vanished to blandness.

“Are you asking for freaking coffee again? Are you
serious?”

Her extended arm began to ache. “Please, and I need
some painting supplies, too.”

He crossed his arms. She couldn’t watch the expression
on his face as it was bathed in darkness, but his posture was relaxed. “I
thought you didn’t need me.” The sarcasm was drenched in triumph.

She brought the empty tin to her chest. He hadn’t been
crossat her
for her lack of reaction yesterday. He had been cross because he had been
unable to rebuff her. “I take it you won’t give me anything.” She threw the tin
in the bin.

Feet spread out in front of her fridge, she opted for
the last of the yoghurts, the lemon flavour one she hated. Why the supermarkets
insisted on using this vile fruit in their value range, she had no idea. Paper
lid removed, she tucked into her breakfast without enthusiasm, standing in the
middle of the room.

“Are you kidding me?”

She carried on eating, bracing herself for what was to
come.

“Hey—” He grunted with annoyance. “Hell, I don’t even
know your name.”

“Tessa.” The slightly acidic and too-sweet yoghurt
churned her stomach.

“Well, Tessa,
you need to wish for it. I can’t get you anything until you use the proper
word. Say it.”

She plunged her spoon in the foul creaminess. “What’s
the point? You’re going to refuse me anyway.”

His arms unfolded as he levitated, crossed-legged,
elbows wide. His fingertips drummed his thighs with increasing speed. “Try me.”

She didn’t bother replying. She knew his kind. People
who had to have their way because they considered themselves so much smarter
than others. Tessa dealt with them with casual indifference, because that meant
they wouldn’t search for trouble. They would leave her alone.

But him?

He grated that part of her she had put to sleep a long
time ago.

She didn’t like it.

Not one bit.

Yet it compelled her, like a chickenpox itch you know
you shouldn’t scratch but can’t resist.

Once she had dropped the empty yoghurt pot in the bin,
she proceeded to wash her spoon, aware of a glare cutting a hole at the back of
her head. She wiped the cutlery dry with slow movements, blew on it then
polished it. The sound of fingertips on denim was getting louder in her ears.
So he was getting frustrated.

She couldn’t wait for his next move.

Water running from the tap, she rinsed her sponge,
soaked it in a lavender-scented cleaning spray and wiped every nook and cranny,
from the sink to the kitchen counter, with deliberate fussiness. She lifted her
kettle and her toaster, pushed her plant to the left, then back to its place,
and scrubbed those pesky corners. The cupboard doors were next, after a few
more sprays of lavender.

If I started
singing, would that be too much?

His hoarse breathing had turned into a low growl.

But she was too far gone to stop. So when her wrist
got captured by a powerful hand, an unexpected thrill coursed through her.

“Say it,” he ordered. “Say how much you wish for
coffee.”

His grip was painful. Implacable. It brought her back
to reality, chased away that stupid excitement she never should have pursued.
Logan was just like everyone else. No doubt he would resort to violence because
she had taunted him. Because she hadn’t done as she was told.

So she shut herself down, and let him pull her to face
him.

“Jesus Christ, not again.” He yanked his hand away
from her.

Images of her mother flashed like a nightmare. She had
to concentrate to keep her vision focused on him.

“How can you go from provoking me to this lifeless
thing?”

She rubbed her wrist, where his print had marked her
flesh. He could scream as much as he wanted and take out his anger on her. A
calm resolution had flooded her senses. It shielded her soul. Nothing would
hurt now. The soft glow of his eyes had intensified to blazing gold, a sheer
contrast to his reddening face. His eyebrows were so low they could cast their
own shadow over his cheeks. And his lips…

A painful twinge hit her in the throat.

His bottom lip was cut, the blood dried up as a crust.
But it was his neck that had her stumbling back against her sink. It had two
perfectly parallel, crimson crevices crossing from one side to the other. She
was no expert, but these scars were fresh, and made by a razor-sharp blade. She
could swear it.

His tirade halted abruptly.

He seemed to hesitate between retreating in the corner
and standing his ground. That he chose the latter didn’t surprise her.

“That’s none of your business,” he replied to her
silent question.

Synopsis

The Spirits of Saoradh, who carry the guilt of a crime they committed when they were alive, now spend their ghostly days in the Void, dark nothingness where time and space are distorted. Until they get bound to a human. As often as needed, that human can call them to the real world, ask them to grant a wish, then send them back to the Void. The Spirits also have to follow strict rules or be punished, unaware that they can earn their redemption through a selfless sacrifice.

Spirit Logan despises the obedience he has to show to his humans, and prefers the enjoyable solitude of the Void. For three years, he has managed to threaten them into severing their bond, thus having his memory wiped of their existence. Except his latest human, an emotionless woman with a secret past, isn’t scared of him. Worse, she doesn’t care about his ability to make wishes come true.